A 3000 year-old Bronze Age settlement has been unearthed in England

The site, described as the British Pompeii (though significantly smaller in size than the ancient Roman city), was discovered during an archaeological dig in the Cambridgeshire Fens.

British archaeologists working on the Must Farm project taking place at the site of the discovery took to writing in their online diary, in superlative terms only. They described it as the “dig of a lifetime”. The dig is indeed without precedent in Britain, if not in Europe as well, and it gives us the unique chance to expand our knowledge about the Bronze Age.

The excavation itself began over 10 months ago, and since then, it has unearthed a wealth of amazing finds including pottery, textiles, metal work and ancient timbers. Mark Knight, the site manager of the dig from the Cambridge Archaeological Unit called it a “genuine snapshot of a lost world”.

Over 3,000 years ago, the site was presumably inhabited by a small river community of 30 or so people living in wooden round houses. As many artifacts are being examined, what is interesting to note is that no skeletons were found at the site whatsoever, except for a trophy skull.

Nick Glass, reporting for CNN, admits to have visited the site three times since the excavation started last September. “The archaeological site has extraordinary clarity, cogency and intimacy. You can easily imagine what it was like for our ancestors 3000 years ago”, he says.

He adds: “Running across one part of the site is a narrow wooden causeway, a series of oak planks less than a meter across. Pre-dating the settlement, it rests there invitingly — cleaned of mud and silt — waiting for us to follow in our ancestors’ footsteps”.

Andreea is a recent graduate of the University of Bucharest, where she earned a Bachelor's degree in American Cultural Studies. She's currently enrolled in a Master's program in the same field with a particular interest in literature and media studies. She makes the most of her leisure time by reading mystery novels, playing video games and pursuing her greatest passion, photography.